August 2009 Newsletter
Hello All,
Over the past few weeks, Abacus has partnered with a web/email hosting company and a spam filtering service. These partnerships will allow Abacus to have the ability to better managed email, spam and web services all under a single contract. Abacus has also partnered with a couple of different cabling firms and is having talks with internet and telephone providers.
The goal is to have one provider, Abacus, for all your technology needs. In case you're wondering what is happening with 7 x 24 help desk support, I am about three questions/answers away from signing up with a firm. Once it's available, I will contact those accounts who have the greatest need and set them up. Once customers are accustomed to the new service, it will alleviate lengthy response times for technical issues.
Thank you all for your support.
Chris Demeur
Owner
Abacus Technical Solutions Inc.
Don't Buy Retail Software
Small businesses have been throwing money away for years by running to their local store and buying software off the shelf for their businesses. There is usually a better and cheaper way. Ask you Managed Service Provider (Abacus, in this case) about how some sort of volume licensing could benefit your business.
Even if you don't buy more than a couple copies of something you will still realize financial benefits through ease of deployment and better management of licensing. Let's say, for example, that you go out and buy two copies of Microsoft Office for a couple of your computers at work. The retail license agreement from Microsoft says that once the software is installed on a computer, it belongs to that computer. If you replace that computer for some reason, you have to buy a new copy of Office as well. If you had purchased your software through their open volume licensing, you could simply and legally reinstall your software on the new machine.
Another benefit is that most software manufacturers will allow you to manage your licensing through a web portal of some kind. If you own retail software, the only proof you have that you own the license is that holographic sticker that most of us lose ten minutes after the software is installed.
In short, don't just run out and buy your software. Consult your IT Professional or Managed Service Provider. If you don't have one on retainer or through a contract, you should really consider finding one you like. Our mission in life is to make sure you're not wasting time or money on your technology.
Is Your Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Safe:
Many of us have pretty tight desk space. The advent of flat panel monitors have really opened up space for us but another space-saver is the ability to use a wireless keyboard and/or mouse. This allows you to have the computer further way and thus out of the way. I was recently asked a very good question by Alex Jacobs, a web designer in Oak Park (www.shopoakpark.com). He asked me if someone could "hack" the wireless transmission from the keyboard and gather your keystrokes. Over time, someone could gather your passwords, credit card numbers and other information you would probably rather not share. Shame on me for not considering this sooner.
I did some research and as it turns out, there is some encryption that happens between these wireless devices. However, there are a number of ways hackers have managed to crack these simple keys.
There are some wireless keyboards/mice on the market that offer better encryption but they can be rather pricey. A company called Wireless Computer offers several models that range from $200 and up. In addition to better encryption, they offer better range.
If security is a big issue, you may want to simply consider a cable extension and keep your keystrokes out of the air.
Helpful Tips (Recovering from a system lockup)
What can you do to free up a frozen computer? Well, the answer may not be a total restart of the machine. Computers, especially systems that are older and have not had maintenance done on them in some time, can freeze up for several reasons. Reasons can include a simple memory or processing glitch, software corruption, incompatible software or drivers or a hardware issue.
Sometimes, users are able to recover from a frozen computer by opening the task manager, identifying the problematic application and ending it. How can you open anything when your computer is frozen? You can do this with a Hot-Key combination. Simply depress the left-hand ctrl-shift-esc keys together. It may open right away or it may take a minute or two depending on whether the computer is really busy trying to close the offending application itself.
Assuming the task manager opens, you can click on the "Applications" tab, find the one with a status of "Not Responding," selecting it and clicking on the "End Now" button. Ending the program may require you to click on "End Now" or "End" on some resulting pop-up windows but you may be able to shut down the program and continue working or saving whatever work you may have otherwise lost.
If you simply cannot get the system to respond at all, you have the "nuclear option" of holding down the power button on the machine until it shuts off (about 8 seconds). This is called a "hard shutdown." All your unsaved work will be lost but you will be able to restart your computer unless the reason that it locked up in first place prevents the system from functioning normally anymore.
If these problems persist, call your IT provider, help desk or Managed Service provider for assistance.
On a personal note, being a new parent has come with some challenges. The biggest is the realization that every day he is growing and changing. I wish he could stay a little baby longer. For my wife, lack of sleep is her challenge. Mine is being out-of-shape and trying to use back muscles I haven't used since I used to kick box about ten years ago. Otherwise we are loving this experience and feel privileged.to be able to have it. We are looking forward to whatever lies ahead but are in no hurry.
Sincerely,
Chris Demeur
Abacus Technical Solutions
